Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake
by Lithos Maitreya
Summary: When Grovyle, Celebi, Dusknoir and Primal Dialga dissapeared at the end of 'In the Future of Darkness' they did not reappear at the mountain, but at the lake where the Clans live. Book 1 of the Team Soul Trilogy, Basis for The Messiah of Time. Book II up!
1. Prologue: Visions of Creation

**Hi! This is my first fic, and my first attempt at serious writing, but I have an idea for a book I want to write, so I need to practice! Just so you know, I'd like reviews, but I like constructive criticism even more than people telling me it's flawless, because I need advice!**

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_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Prologue**

**Visions of creation**

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_I opened my eyes, and couldn't tell if I was awake or dreaming. Everything was black, but then, I _was _blind. It became clear that I was dreaming when I began to see something. Eyes. Two enormous eyes, each with two rings of different colors around the black pupils. The outer ring was a dark blood-red, while the inner ring was a vivid emerald-green. The eyes stared into my own, and I felt as though they were staring into my very soul, searching through all of my darkest memories and cruelest thoughts. I stared back, though every fiber of my being wanted to run and cower in some shadowy corner where it couldn't see me. I knew that these eyes, and the creature behind them, was something I could not comprehend, beyond StarClan, or the Dark Forest, or even us, the Three. It scared me, but I wouldn't run. I wouldn't throw my life on this creature's mercy. I knew it would find me if I ran, and I wouldn't give it the satisfaction of the hunt. If it wanted to kill me, I would die like the warrior I'd once wanted to be. I didn't just look into those eyes. I _glared_ at them. What _was _this… _thing_… that thought it could just come here and kill me? I would show it!_

_All of a sudden a deep, powerful voice emanated from the darkness. "_**Ah, Good… The Medicine Cat has arrived…"**_it said, sounding as though its mouth was smiling._

"Who are you?_" I called at the eyes. I assumed the eyes belonged to the same creature that was speaking and I was right._

_"_**I am Arceus…**_" boomed the voice. "_**And you… are Jayfeather of the Three…**_"_

_I stiffened. This creature, Arceus, knew about the prophecy? Who was it? _What _was it? How did it know? "_How do you know about the prophecy?_"_

_It laughed, a harsh, booming sound, and said, "_**How do I know… about the prophecy…? I helped… to shape it…! I am Arceus… the Creator…**_"_

_"_What do you mean?_"_

_"_**I create worlds… not yours, true… but others, yes… And I am here, Jayfeather… to tell you… of what is to come…**_"_

_I felt my hackles rise. This creature, this… Arceus, created worlds? Had helped to create the prophecy? And it was here to tell me the future? "_And what is to come,_" I asked, then added, sarcastically, "_The end of the Clans?_"_

_I wasn't expecting it to match me in cynicism, however. "_**Nothing quite so melodramatic… merely a group of four beings… from another world…**_"_

_"_Another world?_"_

_"_**Yes… you must help them, Jayfeather… These are their names…**_"_

_"_Wait, what do you mean?_"_

_"_**They come from the world of Pokemon… and they are Pokemon… one is a grass-type… Grovyle… he stands upon his two hind legs… has leaves sprouting from his forelegs and the top of his head… and a tail of leaves… The second… is Dusknoir… he floats above the ground… his tail nearly touching it… He has no hind legs… but his forelegs… are like those of what you call Twolegs… The third is Celebi… She is small… pink… and has wings… like an insect… and… she has antennae, also like an insect… she has very small limbs… no tail… and an elongated head… These three are those whom you must help… they must return to their world… but be warned… their enemy has followed them… He is Primal Dialga… the Dragon of Time… he is my second born… but he has fallen into shadow… he has become Primal… caring only for himself…**_"_

_I decided it was time to step in. "_Yes, yes,_" I interrupted, "_I get it. He's evil. Now what does he look like?_"_

_Arceus' eyes flashed dangerously, and for a moment I was afraid I'd gone too far, but it just sighed and continued, "_**He is blue… with iridescent red markings all over him… he is also enormous… twenty times the size of the largest cat… and he has a Gemstone of Power in the center of his armored chest… a Primal Diamond… a Corrupted Jewel of Time… Tell Grovyle that the way for them to get home is to Purify it… Dialga will return to his sanity if this is done… he will bring them home… I will interfere with the Tannhauser Wormhole that shall bring them here… Primal Dialga shall appear on the other side of the world… giving you time… to prepare… They will arrive tonight…at the Gathering… now go… prepare for their arrival… ****AWAKE!**_"_

_The eyes began to fade, but before I awoke, I heard a new voice, a sibilant hiss, high, cold and cruel, saying "_Can we trust him to succeed, my lord?_" and Arceus replied "_**I hope so, Giratina… I hope so…"**

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**So how was that eh? I am writing this for practice in writing in character, so if anyone is OOC, Rewiew and tell me!**


	2. Chapter 1: Morning Sun to Midnight Moon

**Two chapters in one day on my first fic ever! I think that's pretty good! Here you are! First person to guess the reason for this chapter's name gets a prize of some kind! I'll decide what later!**

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_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 1**

**From Morning Sun to Midnight Moon**

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I was dying… Dusknoir was gone… Primal Dialga was gone… Celebi had vanished from in my arms… I was alone…

_But not for long, _I thought to myself. I could see my body dissipating… vanishing… All that was left was my head… my face… my eyes… I was gone…

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_Was I dead? I seemed to be in a stream if violet energy. Dusknoir, Primal Dialga, and Celebi were all around me. We were all staring around in amazement, and Dialga's markings were flickering, changing back and forth from red to sky blue and back again. Suddenly he was swept away along another stream and we were accelerating, images of other worlds beyond my understanding flying past at freak velocities…_

"Hold hands!_" I screamed. Celebi grasped my right paw tightly in her small ones, while Dusknoir's huge hands smothered my left arm. We continued to pick up speed, and now there was a light ahead, growing. It was one of the images, another world. There were creatures, not Pokemon, they looked rather like Persian, on an island, with a couple trees. The Image was a window, and we flew through…_

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…And landed in the center of a clearing. There was a moment of silence, and then all of a sudden our ears were assaulted by noise. Yowls, screeches, hisses, squeaks, everything one could imagine. The three of us stood up, and Dusknoir let go of my hand, but Celebi remained holding it. I admit I didn't mind, but I looked to see what was wrong and saw that she was shivering. I realized that the portal-thing might have taken more out of her than me, since she was so tiny, and it was cold too. There was snow on the trees and on the ground in patches, and Celebi and I were grass-types. We didn't like the cold. I took her into my arms, partly because she seemed to want it, partly for mutual warmth, and partly because I wanted to. A lot.

The Persian-like creatures were discussing us now. Four of them, who seemed to be leading were huddled together, and I heard them saying things like "What do we do… just appeared!"

"Calm down… perhaps… medicine cats?"

"Look at them! They're as confused as we are!" Their voices were rising now.

"Jayfeather isn't. He seems to know what's going on…"

"I don't," I called to them, "So if anyone does, I'd enjoy being told, thanks."

All the creatures fell silent, and stared at me.

"Great," said Dusknoir quietly, "Fantastic, Grovyle, really. Now they're even more scared of us."

At this several of them bristled. "We aren't afraid of you!" yowled one, a golden furred one with amber eyes.

"Yes, we are, Lionblaze. Don't lie to our honored guests." said another sarcastically. It was gray, with the deepest blue eyes I'd ever seen. Then it added more seriously, "In fact, I think I'm the only one who isn't afraid of them, and I'm _really _scared of what came with them."

"W-what d-do y-you m-mean?" Celebi asked.

"I mean, Celebi," said the creature softly, and everyone, including the three of us, jumped and stared at it when we realized it knew Celebi's name, and I held her more protectively, "That I'm not scared of you. I'm scared of Primal Dialga, who is on the other side of the world, but will be coming here soon."

There was silence. Dusknoir, Celebi, and I stared at each other in shock and horror. Dialga was coming?

One of the leaders, a ginger furred creature, asked the gray one, "How do you know about them?"

"How do Medicine Cats always know things?" replied the gray one sarcastically, "I had a dream, of course."

"What was it about?" asked a new one. This one was pale gray, with blue eyes like the gray one.

"Them," said the gray one caustically. Dusknoir snorted with laughter. The gray one turned its eyes on us and I froze. Its eyes… they were wide, blank, and sightless. It was blind…

"These three," it said, slowly, "Are from another world. I don't know much, but I know that we, or at least I, have to help them. This one," it pointed a paw at Dusknoir, "Is Dusknoir. This one," it pointed at me, "Is Grovyle. And that one," it pointed at Celebi in my arms, "Is Celebi. And if we're on the subject of introductions," It added to us, "I'm Jayfeather, medicine cat of ThunderClan. That's my leader, Firestar." It pointed at the ginger leader, who stepped forward.

"Thank you, Jayfeather," said Firestar. He (I decided it was probably male) turned to us and began introducing the other cats. First were the other leaders. There was Onestar of WindClan, Blackstar of ShadowClan, and Mistystar of RiverClan. He then introduced us to his Clan, ThunderClan. His deputy (second in command) was Brambleclaw. Jayfeather was the medicine cat, which was a sort of healer/shaman. The warriors, who were soldier/hunters, included Graystripe, Sandstorm, who was Firestar's mate, Thornclaw, Cinderheart and Lionblaze (who stood rather close together, though they weren't mates), and Rosepetal. The rest of the warriors of ThunderClan were back at their camp. All of the ThunderClan apprentices were here, but there were only two of them. They were sisters. Dovepaw was the pale gray one who'd spoken earlier, and Ivypaw was the other.

Then Blackstar introduced the cats of ShadowClan. His deputy was Rowanclaw, the medicine cat was Littlecloud, who had an apprentice, Flametail. The warriors were Oakfur, Applefur, and Tawnypelt (who was Rowanclaw's mate), and the apprentices were Starlingpaw and Ferretpaw. There were more, back at their camp.

After that, RiverClan was introduced by Mistystar. The deputy was called Reedwhisker, and his apprentice was Hollowpaw. The medicine cat was Mothwing and her apprentice was Willowshine. The warriors were Graymist, Pebblefoot and Mallownose. Their apprentices were Troutpaw and Rushpaw. Again, that wasn't all the clan, as more were at their territory.

Finally, WindClan was introduced. Their leader was Onestar. Their deputy was Ashfoot. Kestrelflight was the medicine cat. The warriors were Crowfeather, Nightcloud, Heathertail, Breezepelt, and Emberfoot. The apprentices were Furzepaw and Boulderpaw.

Apparently, their species was called 'cats', and each 'Clan' of cats had different talents and prey. At first we were horrified by the idea of hunting, until they explained that their prey wasn't sentient, like we were. Celebi and I still didn't like it, but we decided to deal with it. ShadowClan were stealthy, and able to hide in places where others would be seen. They hunted swamp animals. WindClan were small, light, and fast. They hunted animals of the plains and moorland. RiverClan could swim, so they hunted the water animals. And ThunderClan climbed trees, and hunted animals that lived in the branches, as well as stalking ground prey.

Once all of this was explained, the four leaders suggested that we select a clan to live in for as long as we chose to stay. The three of us entered a huddle and tried to decide which clan to join.

"I vote for ShadowClan," said Dusknoir immediately. "It sounds just right for my talents."

"I say ThunderClan," I said, "Tree-climbing is right up my street."

"I'm for WindClan," said Celebi quietly, "Speed is definitely my forte. But after that is ThuderClan." She added, smiling at me, making my heart rate speed up.

"I suppose ThunderClan would be my second favorite too." said Dusknoir.

"Then is it decided?" I asked. They both nodded. "All right then," I said. Turning to Firestar, I said, "We've decided to join ThunderClan!"

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**So how was it? If I made a mistake in the Allegiances, TELL MEEEE! I MUST KNOW!**


	3. Chapter 2: Questions

**I have been dealing with Writers Block for the first time! But now this is up! Enjoy (If anyone is even reading…)**

**Disclaimer: I forgot this before, but now it's on! I don't own Pokemon, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, the Pokemon Company, Warriors, Nintendo, or, in fact, anything but this fanfiction, and any OCs I may add later.**

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_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 2**

**Questions asked, answered and unasked**

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The Gathering had dispersed. Grovyle, Celebi, and I were headed to ThunderClan territory along with its representatives. Firestar was leading the cats, Brambleclaw was beside him, and Jayfeather was near the back, where we were. I caught up with him, ignoring the frightened looks that the cats gave me as I floated through the air. He turned to me as I reached him, as though he could see me, though I knew he was blind.

"Hello Dusknoir." He spoke calmly, not at all afraid or disturbed by my presence, "What's up?"

"I have some questions," I told him, "Two actually. How did you know about us, and how much do you know?"

"I did say I had a dream," he said, "But I expect you want more detail. In this dream, I was spoken to by a being who claims to have created worlds, yours included. Its name is Arceus."

My eyes widened, "You received a message from the Alpha Lord Arceus?"

"If that is what it's called, then apparently," he replied, and continued, "Arceus told me a little, but not much. It told me your names and described you, as well as Primal Dialga," I shuddered at my old Master's name, "It told me when you would be coming, and it told me that it would intercept Dialga in the—what did it call it?—Tannhauser Portal, and send it to the other side of the world. Do you know what a Tannhauser Portal is?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Nor do I. Anyway, it told me how you can get home too."

"How?" I asked quickly. I missed home, and if we could go back, it would be nice, since history had been changed.

"It said you need to Purify the Primal Diamond in the center of his chest or something like that," said Jayfeather, and my hopes died instantly. Purify the Jewel of Time? People had tried to do that for over a century before it was deemed impossible!

But… Surely the Alpha Lord Arceus wouldn't have given us an impossible mission? And we were in a new world now. Perhaps, here, there was a way… a way to rationalize Master Dialga!

I didn't say anything to Jayfeather yet, he probably wouldn't know what I was talking about anyway. All I said was, "Thank you for telling me this. It will be most helpful," and turned away to tell my teammates the news.

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**Jayfeather POV**

I felt Dusknoir's presence receding. It was remarkably strong, his thoughts, as well as the other Pokemons', seemed somehow more powerful than the cats'. Only four cats compared with them, the Three and Firestar. I wondered why Dusknoir had reacted how he had; his emotions had gone to an incredibly high level of hope when I mentioned going home, yet they'd turned to despair when I mentioned Purifying the Diamond. Then he seemed to think, and slowly, a tiny pinprick of hope appeared, or at least the black despair faded somewhat. I vowed to myself that I would get a story out of those three, and soon. I'd also find out who this Alpha Lord Arceus was. As Duknoir had left to tell his two friends what I'd told him, I began to mull things over in my mind

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**Unknown POV**

My second plan had not failed, yet. Primal Dialga was still alive, and if I could but refreeze time, he could return. I could only hope that that blasted sister of mine, and that imbecile Starbane, would not interfere. Even if they did, I still had the third plan. The world _would_ be mine! Darkness would rule forever! "_For the Shadows!_" I screamed to the heavens before Tannhausering to the place I knew I would find the greatest of my servants. They expected Dialga. They did not expect me.

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**Evil cliffhanger! Tell me if Jay was OOC, this chap was hard for him. Sorry about the late update, they'll be faster most of the time. If you guess who the last POV is, or answer the last chapter's question, I'll let you make a request for a fluffy scene. Possible pairings are: GrovylexCelebi, LionblazexCinderheart, DovepawxTigerheart, or any other OFFICIAL pairings. I like official pairings. This is Lord Lithos Maitreya, over and out!**


	4. Chapter 3: Forest of Explanation

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Hey Guys! I'm back! I actually like this chapter! By the way, this will be a series, the next one will probably be PokemonxThe Legend of Zelda, unless anyone has any objections. Thanks, Enjoy, and Willowfur won the POV contest, I'll put the fluffy scene in a few chapters from now.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing at all!**

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_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 3**

**Forest of Explanation**

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Dusknoir had gone ahead, leaving me with Grovyle. It was awkward, to say the least. I wasn't sure even how I felt about him, let alone how he felt about me. Since the day we'd met, over 100 years ago, at one of the last Cresselian Conventions, which had been organized gatherings of anyone who wanted to resist the darkness, I hadn't been quite myself. No one noticed but me, but I hadn't been as efficient in my duties as the Guardian Spirit of the Forest. Many invasions had seen me, not guarding the forest as I should, but daydreaming about Grovyle. But, well, what female grass- type wouldn't be smitten with him? He was… just… perfect. His fan-like tail, and the fans on his arms, with leaves as naturally fragrant as bay… the leaf that swung hypnotically from its root at the top of his head, which gave off an intoxicating scent of eucalyptus… the forest green of his back, the floral pink of his stomach and chest… and above all, the deep, yellow pools of his eyes, the color of autumn leaves…

"So how long do you think Dialga will take in getting here?" Grovyle asked me, the leaf swinging behind him like a pendulum.

"I don't know," I replied, willing my voice not to stutter, and my eyes not to roam from his face, "It depends. We don't know how far away he is."

Grovyle frowned, confused, and said, "Jayfeather said he was on the other side of the world, didn't he?"

"Yes," I said patiently, smiling slightly. He was so endearing when he didn't understand something. "But he didn't say what _kind_ of world. Or what size. Our world is average size, but this one might be tiny, huge, or anything in between. Or, it might be one of those weird Discworlds, which are flat. So we really don't know much at all about how far away he is."

"O-oh," he said, looking slightly embarrassed, which, of course, to me, made him even more attractive. "I never realized that something like that could be so _complicated_"

"On some level," I said quietly, as Dusknoir returned, "Everything is complicated."

"Did I interrupt something?" Dusknoir asked as he rejoined our group, grinning slyly.

We both blushed, and Grovyle said, "N-no! Of course not."

There was a moment's silence, and then I said, "Well? What have you found out? I saw you talking with Jayfeather."

"Yes," he said, going instantly businesslike. "First and foremost, the way he knew about us was that he was sent a dream by none other than the Alpha Lord Arceus himself."

Grovyle and I both gasped. "Are you sure?" Grovyle asked.

"He has no reason to lie," said Dusknoir, "He had never heard of Arceus until his dream. But there's more. He said that Arceus himself is the reason Dialga is at the other side of the world. Apparently, the Alpha Lord intercepted him it the portal, whch he called a Tannhauser. Do you know what that means?" he asked me.

"Yeah," I said dismissively, "A Tannhauser is a type of inter-dimensional portal. Don't worry about that. Is there anything else?"

"Actually, there is one other thing. He knew how we can get home."

"_WHAT!_" Grovyle and I yelled at the same time. Home? How was it possible? We were dead there! We'd disappeared with the change of history! "How?" I asked quickly.

"I warn you, it may well be an impossible task," said Dusknoir softly. "Don't get your hopes too high."

"Why?" Grovyle asked apprehensively, "What do we have to do?"

"The way to get home," said Dusknoir, "Is to do what the Cresselian Convention said was impossible. To Purify the Jewel of Time."

My heart plummeted. Purify the Jewel of Time? It was impossible. That was established. It couldn't be done. Grovyle looked as glum as I did, but suddenly, a new hope seemed to spark in his eyes.

"We aren't back home anymore are we?" he said slowly.

"No," answered Dusknoir.

"So why shouldn't there be something here that can Purify it?" he asked excitedly, "There are an infinite number of universes. We'll search through all of them until we can find something that can do the impossible. That can Purify the Temporal Diamond!"

Slowly, hope returned to me too. I saw that Dusknoir had already come to the same conclusion. Suddenly, a thought came to me. "We need a team name." I said, "You remember how Star and Algator had a team name? Team Dragonlords? We need one too! We'll be the explorers of the dimensions, just like they're the explorers of Time!"

They both stared at me. Dusknoir looked incredulous, but Grovyle seemed to agree. "You're right," he told me, "We need a name. Team Forest?"

"No," said Dusknoir, "You're forgetting me."

"Team Guardian?" I suggested.

Dusknoir shook his head, thought for a moment, and suggested, "Team Soul?"

There was silence. "I like that," I said eventually. Grovyle nodded. "So from now on," I said, "We are Team Soul, Explorers of the Multiverse! Tee-hee!"

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**Team Dragonlords isn't a one-time thing, they'll come in later, it's the main character and his partner. Two contests: one, old: I'm still waiting for why I named chapter 1 what I did, winner gets another fluff request; and now, a freebie, Star and Starbane are the same person, Contest two is: why did I call them that? Read and (In the universal phrase) Review!**


	5. Chapter 4: Thoughts of a Warlord

**I forgot this at first sorry... anyway, I was going to put Team Soul's story in here, but it was too long so it's in the next chapter.**

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**Disclaimer: I own Nothing!**

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_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 4**

**Thoughts of a Warlord**

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I had been watching the three Pokemon for the entire trip. Jayfeather seemed to trust them, but I had my doubts, so I decided to speak with Firestar. I sped up, and caught up with him.

He turned to me. "Hello Lionblaze," he said "What's worrying you?"

"I just don't know if we can trust them. The Pokemon, I mean." I explained.

Firestar frowned. "Neither do I. I intend to grill your brother for the details as soon as we get back to camp."

"Okay," I said, "But then they'll see where the camp is!"

"They're from another world, Lionblaze. Calm down," Firestar admonished, "It's not like they would tell anyone, at least, anyone we know."

"True, but how do we know they're telling the truth?" I asked

"It wasn't they who told us, it was your brother. And I, for one, trust your brother." Firestar answered calmly.

There was a moment's silence, and then I said, "I guess I do too…" I turned, and walked back along the line. I saw Cinderheart, and, for some reason I couldn't explain, fell into step beside her.

"Hi Lionblaze," she said happily, "What's up?"

"Nothing," I said. I wondered, again why I felt so… _attracted_ to her. Perhaps I'd ask Jayfeather later.

Cinder heart frowned at me. "Are you sure? You look worried."

"I'm just unsure." I said reluctantly.

"About the Pokemon?"

"Yes."

Don't worry." she told me, "Jayfeather told us about them, and we can trust him right?"

"I guess so… but I'm still worried. What if he's wrong?" I said.

"He's a medicine cat. We have to trust him to be right. If we stopped trusting the medicine cats, we'd be turning our backs on StarClan." she said quietly.

"…You're right. I have to trust him on this. If I can't trust my own brother, who can I trust?"

"You know you can always trust me, Lionblaze," Cinderheart said, nuzzling my shoulder with her cheek. I felt my heartbeats come quicker, and a desire to be close to her took hold of me. I resisted it, wondering what it was. I had to see Jayfeather about this.

"Yes," I said softly, nosing the top of her head. "I know."

I heard the three Pokemon's voices raise. I couldn't understand much of what was said, but I heard the words "…Team Soul, Explorers…Multiverse! Tee-hee!" That was Celebi's voice.

Cinderheart and I turned to look at them. They didn't seem to be arguing, but we went over to them anyway.

"What's up?" Cinderheart asked.

"Nothing," said Grovyle, turning to us. "We just decided on our Exploration Team name, that's all."

"Exploration Team?" I said, interested. Even if I still didn't fully trust them, I wanted to know about where they came from.

"I expect you don't have them here," said Dusknoir's deep voice.

"No," I said, truthfully.

"Could you tell us more about where you live?" Cinderheart asked curiously. "Are all creatures there like you three?"

"Yes, we can tell you more, and no, not all Pokemon look like us. Would you like us to tell you about our would in general, or our past?"

"Your past," I said, and Cinderpelt nodded. Chances were, we'd get information on their world this way too, after all.

"All right," said Grovyle, "But I warn you, the story of our world is a sad one."

We looked at each other, Cinderpelt and I. I suddenly realized that we were close to the camp.

"We still want to hear it," I said, "But not now. We're almost to camp."

As if on queue, Firestar's voice came from the front. "Home! And now to bed!"

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**Was Lionblaze OOC? He's hard...**


	6. Chapter 5: Timeless Past

**5 PAGES! This took me FOREVER! So please, enjoy, for me. NOTE: there will be two sequels: Book Two in the Team Soul trilogy, and The Messiah of Time, which will be about Firestar, and this chapter is why. I swear, the idea just came out while I wrote.**

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**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING, except Star and Algator's names.**

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_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 5**

**Timeless Past**

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We'd arrived back at camp. The Gathering had gone very well, considering three creatures from another world had turned up while Blackstar was announcing ShadowClan's news. It was past moonhigh now, and my eyelids were starting to droop. I yawned, just as I heard Lionblaze speaking to Firestar. I tuned my hyperactive hearing to them.

"They've offered to tell us about their past. I think it'll be a long story, so can the two of us stay at camp tomorrow 'till we've heard it?" I head Lionblaze say.

"Yes, but keep your apprentices with you. And Jayfeather. Actually, I want to hear it too, so count me in as well." That was Firestar.

"Thank you, Firestar," said Lionblaze, bowing his head slightly in respect.

_So, we're staying home tomorrow. _I thought. _And we'll get to hear the Pokemon's story. I hope it's interesting… I wonder how they got here anyway?_

"Dovepaw!" called my sister, Ivypaw, "Time for bed!"

"Coming!" I replied. I walked over to the apprentices' den, too tired to run, where Ivypaw was waiting. Suddenly, I thought of something, and turned. _Where are the Pokemon going to sleep?_ I wondered. My question was answered when Grovyle picked up Celebi, who seemed to be weak with cold and exhaustion, and jumped into a tree where he placed her in a relatively safe-looking niche between two branches, before perching on a branch and covering his eyes with his fans, like a bird.

I did a double-take. His fans were _growing_. At first the leaves had been quite small, and only on his wrists, but now the leaves sprouted from all down his arms, and they were as long, relative to his body, as a bird's wings.

_How… How? _I thought, unable even to formulate coherent thoughts, and from the whispers and gasps around me, I gathered I wasn't the only one.

Suddenly Graystripe called "Look at Dusknoir!" I looked, and the sight took my breath away.

Dusknoir had stepped into the shadows while we ogled Grovyle, and now he seemed to be dissolving into them. His one hypnotic eye was the last thing we saw before it, too winked out of existence.

Everyone was whispering things like, "Incredible!" and, "How is that possible?" but we all turned to Firestar when he called out, "Quiet!" When his wishes had been fulfilled, he continued, "It seems our guests have some strange powers. However, that does not change the fact that it is time for bed! I promise you all, I will speak with them in the morning. Good night." And so saying, he and Sandstorm entered his den together.

I followed Ivypaw into the apprentices' den. "Good night, Dovepaw," she said.

"Good night," I replied, as I closed my eyes.

The next morning, Lionblaze and Cinderheart were waiting when we got up. So were Jayfeather and Firestar, they were talking with the three Pokemon. When we reached them, Grovyle said "Good! Everyone's here. Now we can begin." And so saying he began his tale.

"My name is Grovyle, as you know. This is Celebi," he pointed at Celebi, "And this is Dusknoir," he pointed at Dusknoir. "The three of us come from the Pokemon World, which is officially called Arcea. I'll start at the beginning. 1,000 years ago—"

"What's a year?" interrupted Ivypaw.

"Four seasons," said Celebi quickly, "A cycle of what you'd call Leaf-bare, Newleaf, Greenleaf, and Leaf-fall. I heard that from the cat called Leafpool."

My eyes went wide. "4,000 seasons?" I exclaimed.

"Yes," said Grovyle simply, "Pokemon have a much longer lifespan than most creatures. Anyway, can I continue?" I nodded, "Good. As I was saying, 1,000 years ago, a star fell out of the sky."

"_A star fell out—_" I began, shocked, but Jayfeather interrupted.

"Will you be quiet, if it's not too much trouble?" He snapped, "I want to hear this story!"

"…Sorry…" I said, abashed.

"That's quite all right." said Celebi, "but please stop interrupting, or we'll be here all day."

"Anyhow, a star fell," continued Grovyle. "towards us. But, a rescue team of the north, I don't know what they were called, managed to reach the summit of the Sky Tower, The Tower of Clouds, which was made of clouds high in the sky. At the pinnacle, they got the help of Rayquaza, King of the Dragons and Master of the Sky, who managed to destroy the star that was falling. The rescue team somehow made it out alive, but after that fell into obscurity. Celebi was born about 300 years later, and just 100 years later, disaster struck.

"You understand what time is?" he asked us. We nodded, "can you imagine what would happen if it stopped?" we shook our heads. "Dusknoir, show them." said Grovyle.

Dusknoir stood, and held out his forelegs. He began to chant in a low voice. When he finished chanting, he boomed, "As a Servant of Time, I claim my power. May Time _Stop!_"

Everything around us went dark and gray. The sun vanished. Leaves which had been blowing around in the wind froze. The wind stopped too. The luster of the snow on the outside of the camp dimmed.

I gasped, but my reaction was nothing to Firestar's. He gasped too, but he was gasping for air. He fell to the ground, choking, dying…

Light returned. The wind blew again. The sun reappeared, leaves moved, the snow glowed again, and Firestar, was coughing, but alive and being helped up by Grovyle.

"What happened to Firestar?" Cinderheart asked.

"I don't know," said Dusknoir. He looked worried.

"Are you all right?" Grovyle asked Firestar.

"Fine. I'm fine," said Firestar. "Please, continue the story."

"All right. So as I was saying, 600 years ago, disaster struck. The Tower of Time, Temporal Tower, began to collapse, and, with it, so did time itself. The first person to sense anything amiss was Lucario, who, like Dusknoir, was a Servant of Time. But he was more. He was Dialga's second-in-command, a Knight of Time, and Steward of the Tower. He took the five Time Gears from the Tower, to prevent them from being shattered. He hoped that someone would find them and use their power to repair the Tower.

"One hundred years later, the Tower collapsed, and Lucario died in the cataclysm. Time stopped in our world, and Dialga went Primal, meaning he cared only for self-preservation. He knew, as we all did, that if history were changed, we would all disappear. So, instead of trying to save time, he worked to keep it stopped. The only known way to restart time, you see, was to go to the past and prevent the Tower's collapse. A group of a few Pokemon, all of whom hated our world of darkness, began holding the Cresselian Conventions, which were meant to find a way to change history, and repair time. Dusknoir and I were born around that time, about 500 years ago. I joined the Cresselian Conventions, while Dusknoir joined Primal Dialga. He didn't want to disappear, you see. Anyway, the Conventions were held once every six months, and I attended 400 of them before I met Celebi there. This was 300 years ago. I'd already made one good friend there, whose name was Star. He was a human (you call them Twolegs), and a young one, at that. He had an ability called the Dimensional Scream, which allowed him to see the past or future of something he touched, if two conditions were met.

"First, he had to have a trusted friend beside him, and second, it had to be near a Time Gear. He and I were assigned to find the locations of the Time Gears, since I qualified as a trusted friend of his. When we had found the locations of the Time Gears, Celebi would send the entire convention to the past. There we would collect them, and take them to the Tower of Time, where we would use their power to prevent time stopping. That was the plan.

"Imagine my horror when Celebi caught up with us and told us that the Convention had been attacked by Dialga. Even if we managed to find the Time Gears, we would be going to the past alone.

"Star showed his courage that day. He was determined to continue, when even I had lost hope. Celebi promised that she'd be waiting at her home, Dusk Forest, for when we found the Time Gears.

"We found them, but on our travels, we met Dusknoir. Since then, he was our enemy. Once we had found them, we went to Dusk Forest, and Celebi took us back to the past. We encountered turbulence in the time stream, however, and we were separated. I appeared near Treeshroud Forest, one of the Time Gear sites, and took the Time Gear. Time stopped there when I did that, but it was only temporary.

"Then I went to Limestone Cavern, the second Time Gear site, and the first guarded one. I took that Time gear too. It was guarded by a Ditto, which is a Pokemon that can transform into other things. I defeated it easily.

"Then I went to Fogbound Lake. I discovered, then that others had recently visited the Time Gear, and its Guardian, Uxie. I defeated Uxie and took the Gear.

"I took the next, but that one went less smoothly. I was faced with a Totodile and a Charmander, who had formed Exploration Team Dragonlords, and intended to stop me from taking the Time Gear. They'd defeated the Guardian, Mesprit, who'd mistaken them for the thief of Time Gears. I just ran past and took the Gear.

"Next time, though, I failed. I battled the Guardian, Azelf, when Team Dragonlords caught up with me. I defeated them, and then I discovered that Dusknoir had followed me. He appeared and battled me, and I fled, since Azelf had sealed the Gear in crystal.

"A few days later, I heard a rumor that Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit were going to seal away the last Time Gear forever. I knew it might be a trap, but I couldn't risk it. I returned to the site of the last Time Gear, and was captured by Dusknoir, since yes, it was a trap.

"He seemed to have given a twisted story to the general population. He told them I was a wanted criminal in the future, and that the thievery of the Time Gears was intended to freeze time, not repair it. He had gagged me and I couldn't deny it.

"I was taken back to the future, but for some reason, Team Dragonlords was taken too. At first they wanted to trust Dusknoir and not me, but the evidence was overwhelming. We fled together. I told them the basics of this story on the way to Dusk Forest. We arrived there, but when Celebi was about to send us back in time, we were cut off by Dusknoir and Primal Dialga. It was then that Team Dragonlord's leader's identity was revealed, for, though he was a Charmander, he had been a human, and none other that my friend Star. He'd developed amnesia, and couldn't remember me.

"We managed to escape to the past. I left again to regain the Time Gears, while Star and his partner, Algator, searched for Temporal Tower, as well as informing the Time Gears' Guardians to let me through.

"I got the Gears, and they found the Tower so we set off, but at the Tower's base, Dusknoir cut us off. We defeated him, but not before he'd told Star that preventing the Tower's collapse would cause him to disappear. As we talked, Dusknoir attacked again, in a last, desperate attempt to stop us. I blocked, and to give Star and Algator a chance left the Time Gears, and took Dusknoir with me, back to our time.

"In our time we were attacked by Dusknoir's servants, the Sableye. They seemed to have been ordered to betray him by Dialga, who intended to send a new servant to the past. We made our way to Temporal Tower, me to stop Dialga going to the past and stopping Algator and Star, him to find out why Dialga had betrayed him.

When we reached the Tower's pinnacle, however, Dialga wasn't there. Dusknoir reminded me that it would be much easier to use Celebi's Passage of time than a Dimensional Hole, which Dusknoir had always used. I admit the Idea that Dialga would attack Celebi terrified me. We headed for Dusk forest, and found only a Sableye, who said she had been taken to Frozen Island to the south. We made our way there and found her. I rushed over to her, but stepped between four strange crystals.

"Immediately, the crystals released energy at me. This energy would destroy my soul. It was then that Dusknoir's plan was revealed. He had designed all of this, set the Sableye in those places, all so I would come here and have my soul destroyed. Then, he would take over my body and go to Star and Algator and stop them. At the last minute, however, Dusknoir changed his mind. As we traveled together, we'd developed a mutual respect, even a friendship. He shoved me out of the space between the crystals, saving my life.

"Then Dialga came. He was angry with Dusknoir, and attacked him, but then something happened that distracted us. A wind blew. Time was starting up again. Slowly, true, but now I knew that Star had succeeded. History had been changed.

"Dialga seemed to become even more insane and vicious. However he didn't attack us. He ran off and we followed him to the Vast Ice Mountain. Celebi told us that there was a Passage of Time at the top of the mountain, and if Dialga want through to the past, he could still destroy the tower, so we followed him. At the summit, we battled him, the Dragon of Time, and won. Then the sun rose… I remember my body dissolving, we were all vanishing… We… We disappeared. And reappeared here. You know the rest."

There was silence when Grovyle finished his tale as we all digested what we'd heard. Then, Jayfeather said, "Wow. You really have been through a lot."

"Yeah," I said.

"Our story isn't as spectacular," said Firestar, "But we'll tell you it, if you want to hear it."

"Yes, please," said Celebi, and they settled down to listen.

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**Algator is my partner in PMD1 red and blue and I'm a charmander. This is a freebie for one of my questions. I added all the old history, and the extra-long-lifespan thing. Read and Review (cliché, I know…)**


	7. Chapter 6: Cat's Tale

**I hated writing this chapter with a passion, so please, enjoy, read, and review to make up for it, bring me out of post-traumatic depression, and inspire me to continue, since I have 1-2 MORE PARTS OF THIS TO DO! *weeps* Also, check out my poll on my profile. It ends when I finish this. Messiah of Time will be about Firestar and a revived Scourge, and Team Soul II, until further notice, is about Team Soul in The Legend of Zelda. Edit: The whole story has been removed. I couldn't write it, and I want ON! Team Soul II is actually a crossover with PJO instead, while Messiah of Time is a LoZ crossover.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Duh! Stop Bothering Me! I'm Depressed From This Chapter!**

**Edit: UGH FORMAT AGAIN! I'M SO SORRY!**

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_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 6**

**Cat's Tale**

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"Well," began Firestar, "I'd appreciate it if no one interrupted while I spoke." The Pokemon nodded. "Thank you. It all began with the start of the Clans. Many generations ago, in the old forest, where the clans used to live, there were many cats. However, these cats were not organized, and they fought in a constant free-for-all. One full moon, they were all fighting, when suddenly, the spirits of the fallen of the war appeared before them. The spirits said that the battles must stop.

"Five cats stepped forward to create peace. The spirits told them that they would be the leaders of the five Clans. Each Clan was named after its first leader. There was Sky, who became Skystar; there was Shadow, who became Shadowstar; there was Wind, who became Windstar; there was River, who became Riverstar; and there was Thunder, who became Thunderstar.

"These five cats made the five Clans, and, for a long time, managed to exist together. However, the balance ended when SkyClan's territory was destroyed and they were driven away. The peace held for a time after that, but eventually, it, too fell. The wars began again, but this time, instead of cat against cat, it was Clan against Clan. And it was into this chaos that I came.

"I was born as what is called a Kittypet, a cat who is a pet to Twolegs, or, as you call them, humans, or, as the Kittypets call them, Housefolk. However I craved excitement, so I left my house, and entered the forest. I was found there by Graystripe first; he was Graypaw then. Then Bluestar, the leader, and Tigerclaw, another cat, came too. They brought me to the Clan and I was named Firepaw. You see, our names change as our task does. A cat named Coal would be born as Coalkit. Once he became an apprentice, his name becomes Coalpaw. As a warrior or medicine cat, his name changes to one of many choices. He could be Coalfire, or Coalblack, or Coalclaw. But if he becomes a leader, his name changes to Coalstar."

Firestar contined his story, ending with, "After the battle, we were recovering, and then you appeared. The rest you know."

Now that the story had ended, all of them knew of the Prophecy of Three, including Cinderheart and Ivypaw. I could sense shock in Cinderhearts mind at what Lionlaze was, and a sense of betrayal, which surprised me. _Why didn't you tell me?_ her mind was screaming to Lionblaze. He seemed slighly abashed, as though he knew what she was thinking.

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**AAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH! NO MORE! PLEASE! I'VE HAD TO RE-READ MOST OF THESE BOOKS IN THE PAST FEW DAYS! AND THIS IS ONLY PART I! HOW DO I TUrn off caps lock? Oh. I hate this chapter, but I needed it. And I need part II (and possibly III). LORD HELP ME AND PROTECT ME! Edit Never mind. I have destroyed the story. Firestar's narrative, I mean. I'm skipping it. Sorry fo the now short chapter.**


	8. Chapter 7: Learning Improbabilities

**I'm back, and I'm sad. No one reviewed when I told you I needed a pick-me-up from last chapter's depression. I want a better response this time. Anyway I edited the last chapter, deleting a lot. You must re-see it to understand this. Sorry, but here we are. Enjoy. The good stuff is coming, I swear.**

**IMPORTANT: I have changed the order of the series. The order is 1: Warriors/Pokemon; 2: Pokemon/Percy Jackson and the Olympians AND AT THE SAME TIME Warriors/Legend of Zelda; 3: Pokemon/Inheritance Cycle AND Warriors/Legend of Zelda. IMPORTANT II: This is post-Fading Echoes, and Night whispers can go boil its head. Thank you.**

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 7**

**Learning Improbabilities**

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I crouched on the ground, knees and elbows bent, eyes narrowed, staring across the training hollow at Lionblaze. It had been agreed that the three of us, Celebi, Dusknoir, and myself, would learn the various skills of the warriors from ThunderClan. Celebi was currently learning from Jayfeather about their abilities as medicine cats, while Dovepaw, Ivypaw, and Cinderheart taught Dusknoir how to hunt. Firestar and Lionblaze agreed to teach me their fighting skills, and perhaps learn something from me.

"Now!" called Firestar, and I charged for Lionblaze, as though to attack him with my blades, but at the last instant, I swept to the left and spun, whipping him with my head-leaf, and stopping behind him and spinning to face him.

He was on top of me before I could do so much as blink, cuffing at my face with sheathed claws, and then lightly biting at my neck.

"You're dead," he said simply, jumping off. I got up slowly, groaning.

"Zekrom beneath," I muttered, "You really are undefeatable, aren't you?"

"As far as I can tell," he said, grinning.

"Lionblaze," said Firestar sharply, "You may be invincible, but we don't want to find out you're not by you dying, now do we? Be careful."

"Fine, fine," said Lionblaze, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Grovyle. I'll attack you now."

"Sure," I said. He charged. I rolled to the side, flipped, jumping over him, and landed facing him with him looking the other way, having turned. I swung at him with a backhanded strike, sending him sprawling, but he was up again in an instant, and coming at me. He cuffed me, hard, and the force spun me around, but I used the spin to my advantage, clubbing him with a hammerfist.

"All right, all right, that's enough," said Firestar. "It seems clear that you know what you're doing. We can't teach you anything, and vice-versa, because our kinds are too different. Now come on, It's almost time for you to go try hunting."

"No!" I cried. "Not hunting. I don't like the idea of killing anything, even something that isn't sentient. I'll stick to plants, thanks."

"All right, medicine then. Come on." I followed them out of the training hollow. We met Dusknoir, Cinderheart, Ivypaw, and Dovepaw on the way to camp. Dusknoir's face was carefully blank, but there was a sort of air of disgust about him, which I wouldn't have picked up if I didn't know him so well. I fell into step beside him.

"Enjoy hunting?" I asked slyly.

He glared at me with his one red eye. "I didn't hunt. I merely wanted to see their methods of… ah… incapacitation. They were… not as… humane… as I'd hoped, but these cats have no powers or technology beyond their teeth and claws, so I cannot hold it against them."

"Actually, you can. I'm surprised at you, Dusknoir." I said, and I meant it. "You have changed. The Dusknoir who tried to turn me in to Primal Dialga might not have hunted, but he would have insulted these cats for doing so."

Dusknoir didn't seem to know how to take this. At length he just sighed and said, "Perhaps you're right."

"I always am." I said. The aura of light in this new world was getting to me. It was brining out a sense of humor I never knew I had. Oh, how lucky these cats were, to be able to see the sun rise and set every day. And they took it for granted! So had Team Dragonlords, come to think of it. Except Star. He'd somehow retained an instinctual reverence for the daylight, despite the fact of his amnesia.

Suddenly I remembered Firestar, writhing on the ground, dying, simply from lack of Time. What did it mean? I asked Dusknoir, who knew more about Time than I did.

He looked worried. "I'm not certain," he said. "It looked like something I learned about, but that was only a theory. There is something in our soul called our Temporal Receptor. The greater it is, the more affected one is by Time's speed. Dialga lost his mind when Time stopped because his Receptors are so powerful. They affect the workings of his soul more. But there was a theory that Charizard the Avenger, Duke of the Third Gear and Knight of Time, put forward, once, to the scientists studying Temporal physics. He claimed that there was, somewhere, a person whose Receptors were so powerful that he quite simply could not live without Time. That would make him have more power over Time then Dialga himself. This person, who Charizard called the 'Messiah of Time', could only come into being if the force of Time itself fathered a child."

I blinked. "How could Time have a kid? Do you mean Dialga?"

"No, Dialga is an entity with massive control over time. I mean an embodiment of Time, a being that literally is Time itself. The theory of beings like that has existed for millennia. They're called Avatars. The Messiah of Time would be the son of the Avatar of Time."

"…And you think it's Firestar?" I asked slowly.

"I don't know, Grovyle," he said, one hand over his eye. "I don't know. The idea of the Messiah of Time is a strange theory, with no basis in solid, definite fact, but if it's true, then everything is explained."

"When you have ruled out the impossible," I said, softly, "Whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth. Process of elimination, Dusknoir. We have no other theories. He must be the Messiah of Time."

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**Celebi POV**

I was in the medicine den, learning about the medicinal herbs the cats used from Jayfeather. A t least that's what I was officially doing, but he said that he'd tell me the important ones, since that's all I'd be able to remember, and then I could just relax, and possibly help him out a bit. I was now helping him sort herbs in silence. It was a pleasantly monotonous task, and gave me the capacity to think. Mostly, I thought about Grovyle, of course. He'd told the story of our history so well last night…

_Seriously? _I thought, _Now my infatuation with him is getting worse just because of a_ story_? For Cresselia's sake, this is getting ridiculous._

"You'd make a good medicine cat, except for two problems," said Jayfeather suddenly.

"What problems?" I asked.

"One, you're not a cat, and two…" here his whiskers twitched in a cat's smirk, "Medicine cats can't fall in love."

For the second time ever, I blushed because of a reference to Grovyle. I'd always thought I'd hidden my crush on him well, never blushing or stuttering around him, never letting him or anyone else see me staring at him, but twice I'd lost composure. Once, I'd slipped up, mentioning my infatuation, or at least referencing it, to Star, but here, somehow, Jayfeather knew.

"How… How?" I asked him. I was unable to prevent myself stuttering now I'd already lost my self-induced calm, so I simply stopped speaking.

His grin just widened, and he said, softly, "Take my advice, Celebi. Your love has become an obsession for you because you're keeping it pent up. Let it out. Show Grovyle your feelings, slowly, of course. I have never been in love, but I understand people enough to know what you need to do. Trust me. You can't hide forever."

I didn't answer, and neither of us said another word for a long while. I was following the line of thought that Jayfeather had given me. Suddenly the others joined us. They seemed to have finished their training regimes.

"We need to talk to you. Alone." Grovyle whispered to me in the confusion of 'hello's and 'sorry to bother you's.

"All right" I whispered back, trying harder that ever not to stutter. His mouth was so close to my ear…

Jayfeather quickly gave Grovyle and Dusknoir the same course he gave me, but he said, "Don't expect to remember it all. Celebi has that talent, you don't so much. Count on her."

I felt a settling of responsibility, and I realized that I had received a job. I was the healer of our team. Now, and forever. It would be my job to provide the support for the fighters in every battle. Was I ready? Yes I was.

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That night I met the other two in the forest. We told Firestar we were going for a walk. We did so, for a time. Then Grovyle spoke.

"How was your lesson with Jayfeather?" he asked.

"…Educational." I said, chuckling.

"What do you mean?" Grovyle asked.

"I learned about more than herbs," I explained.

"What did you learn?" he asked me.

But I simply replied, "I think I'll keep that quiet, thanks."

He frowned, looking slightly hurt, and I felt a stab of guilt. Why had I even mentioned my conversation with Jayfeather? But Dusknoir intervened.

"Relax," he said, "Don't be offended, Grovyle. I've guessed what it is, and trust me, it's better this way."

"Fine," Grovyle sighed, and a wry grin appeared on his face. "You generally do know best, Dusknoir."

I could tell he was still slightly hurt, but it was fading. He really did trust Dusknoir, as much as he'd ever trusted me. Where had that come from? They'd only been allies for a short time.

_Dusknoir saved his life, _A voice in my head told me. _Can you claim the same honor? He saved Grovyle when you couldn't._

I had no way to reply to that, so I didn't. _Was I really useless to him?_ I wondered. It was true that I hadn't been able to save him when his soul had been drawn out by the four crystals, but did that make me worthless? _No._ I knew Grovyle, probably better than he knew himself. He didn't think like that. It wasn't a Pokemon's abilities, or value to him that he saw. In fact, he was more blind than most people about that. It was who they were. He'd fight beside a kind Caterpie sooner than a cruel Groudon. It was this aspect of his character, more than anything else that I'd fallen in love with. But then why did he so trust Dusknoir, who could not really be all that good, if he'd fought for Darkness so long?

Suddenly Grovyle spoke. "The reason for this walk was that we discovered something through process of elimination. Dusknoir, you're better than I am at this."

"All right," said Dusknoir, than asked me, "Celebi, have you ever heard of Charizard the Avenger?"

"Yes." I answered. "He was a Knight of Time and Duke of the Third Gear, right? He was the one who helped the Steward Lucario when he first arrived at Temporal Tower, wasn't he? Died in the Stellar Shattering, right?"

"Right," said Dusknoir. "Then do you know his Theory of the Lower Avatar?"

"The one with the Messiah of Time? Yeah," I said. "I don't believe it though. What about it?"

"You'd better start believing it, girl," said Grovyle grinning. I almost shuddered at how he'd addressed me, but he continued, "'Cause if I'm right, the Messiah of Time exists. And it's Firestar."

"Firestar?" I spluttered, utterly shocked.

"Think about it, Celebi," said Dusknoir, "There is evidence supporting Grovyle's theory. Remember when Grovyle told our story?"

I did. Firestar's reaction. Of course. It did make sense. "Are you sure?"

"We can't be," sighed Grovyle, "We have no proof. But I'm almost certain. It explains everything."

"But it gives rise to many more questions," said Dusknoir. "Was Time Firestar's mother, or father? Does he know of his heritage? Why has he never used his powers, or has he, in fact, done so?"

"We don't have the answers," sighed Grovyle. "But if we can we'll find out, won't we?"

"Yes." I said. "We will."

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**The Stellar Shattering is when the falling star was destroyed in PMD1. Review, please. I accept unsigned reviews, by the way. Thanks.**


	9. Chapter 8: Watching Wind and Shadow

**Here I am again! And here is the fluff that was requested! Hope it's good!**

**IMPORTANT: I need a Betareader! Anyone willing, tell me in a review or PM me, along with instructions on how to send you the documents, because I don't know how.**

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 8**

**Watching Wind and Shadow**

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"Good," said Dusknoir, "That's decided. Now I'm off to bed. Good night." And so saying, he floated off back toward camp.

Grovyle and I continued on in companionable silence for a while. Now that we were alone, awkwardness, beyond that which was normal, was rising within me, but I suppressed it.

At length, to break the silence I asked, "Do you really think Firestar is the Messiah of Time?"

"Yes," said Grovyle instantly. "I have no doubts."

"Then I guess I believe it too. You've changed, Grovyle," I said softly. "The Grovyle I once knew would never believe something so far-fetched. You're more trusting, funnier, more… well, _lively_. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes," he said softly. While he spoke, he—seemingly unconsciously—started petting my head with one hand, rubbing from my forehead along the fuzz which covered my body to the tip of my elongated skull. It would have felt nice from anyone, but from Grovyle, I actually felt my actual grip on reality slipping. The world swam in front of my eyes, and it took a terrible effort just to keep flying. The only real things seemed to be me and Grovyle, and his intoxicating scent filled the air.

"I do," he continued, still softly rubbing, "We've all changed. Dusknoir's less ruthless, I'm less serious, and you're less cold."

"Cold?" I murmured softly, barely able to both keep myself from falling asleep under his treatment and kissing the daylights out of him. "You thought I was cold?"

"You were," he said, with characteristic bluntness, "You always distanced yourself from me. You never came close to me if you could avoid it, except that time when the Convention was destroyed." I remembered. I had thrown myself, weeping, into his arms as I delivered the news. "It hurt," he whispered, "Not to be able to come close to you."

My eyes were watering now. I slowly hovered to his neck, dislodging his hand on my forehead, which slipped down my face, hitting my eyelashes and lips as it fell, and wrapped my small arms about his shoulders. "I'm sorry," I whispered, "I never meant to hurt you. You're right, we've all changed. It's the light of this world. It's healing souls we never knew were damaged."

He didn't reply, but simply hugged me back. I felt so warm and safe in his embrace, it was hard to imagine that anything existed besides the two of us. I could have stood there forever, but my eyelids drooped, and I fell asleep in his arms.

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**Grovyle's POV**

I felt Celebi's arms go limp around me, and, looking down, saw that she'd fallen asleep in my embrace. I chuckled softly, and kissed the top of her forehead. She mumbled something inaudible and wrapped her arms around me in her sleep, as one might a pillow. I smiled, and hugged her back for a moment. Then I began the walk back to the ThunderClan camp, carrying her as though she were something fragile, delicate, and immeasurably valuable.

Some of that I knew was untrue. She was by no means fragile. She had once stood up to Regigigas himself, and almost won, or so I'd been told by the members of the Cresselian Convention who had known her longer than I had. Nor was she delicate. For decades, she'd been the only spy the Convention had inside Temporal Tower. I knew she'd gone through trials and turmoil beyond anything I'd ever experienced while she was there. But she was immeasurably valuable, at least to me. And when she was asleep, she did look fragile, and delicate, and helpless.

I soon reached the ThunderClan camp. I hopped up to the tree we'd slept in the night before, placed her in her niche, and fell asleep.

The next morning dawned, sunlight glittering off the snow. I watched it with my teammates, having gotten up just before the sun rose. We always did, Dusknoir and I both, back in the past, and now Celebi continued the tradition. Only just after it had fully risen did Firestar join us.

"How can you miss the sunrise?" Celebi asked him softly.

"Why do you always watch it?" he countered.

"Because it is among the most wonderful things I've ever seen," I answered for Celebi, still loking toward the Northeastern sunrise. "And because I could not see it at all back where we come from."

"Oh yes," said Firestar, "Your world had no sun. But ours does. There will be many more to watch."

"You can't know that," I said softly, "You may leave this world tonight, or tomorrow, or before this moon is gone."

"Then I will go to StarClan, and see the sunrise from above the clouds," stated Firestar with conviction.

There was a moment of silence, and then Celebi asked him, "Do you really believe that?"

"Yes," he said simply. "It's true. I know it is. I've spoken with the dead in StarClan."

"When we die, Giratina comes and takes us to a land where we never die, or are sad." I said. "We know that from a record of dying left by Charizard the Avenger. He got that title from when he was killed by Gyarados the Black, and was returned to life by Mew to destroy his foe."

"I don't know these names," said Firestar. "What are Giratina, Charizard, and Gyarados?"

"Giratina is the Dragon of Death," whispered Dusknoir, his eye closed, almost chanting the words, as though singing some half-remembered song. "Master of the fallen, Marshal of the dead, Lord of the Undying Lands."

Celebi and I stared at him. He looked at us. "What?" he said defensively, "You can learn a lot as a Ghost-Type Servant of Time up at Temporal Tower."

Celebi shrugged, and, turning back to Firestar, said, "Dusknoir gave a good introduction of Giratina. Gyarados is a great blue snake-like beast. And Charizard is a great dragon. It has bat-like wings, two legs, and arms similar to Grovyle's."

Firestar frowned. "How do you remember all these names and appearances? I assume there are still more types of Pokemon?"  
"Yes," I said, "We learn it young, when our minds are most open. The names are whispered to us and we are shown pictures before we can even speak by parents and teachers. It's difficult to learn, but once you learn it, you remember it forever."

There was silence for a time as we watched the Clan getting up for the day. Soon, Brambleclaw came up to them and asked Firestar if he should organize the patrols.

"No, I will in just a heartbeat," Firestar told him. Then he turned to the Pokemon. "Would you like to join a border patrol?"

"Sure!" said Celebi happily. "That's a good idea!"

With a sickly feeling in my stomach at having to remind everyone of what we'd forgotten, I said, "Yes, we should go with the patrol, if only to have the home field advantage."

"The home field advantage?" Celebi asked, "For what?"

Dusknoir, looking just like I felt about reminding everyone, said, "For the battle with Primal Dialga."

Celebi and Firestar's faces fell. "I'd forgotten," Celebi said softly, "Dialga's coming isn't he? Yes, Grovyle, you're right. We need that advantage. Even if we can't return home, we need to make sure he doesn't."

"Right," said Firestar. "Come, I'll organize the patrols for the day now, and you'll be headed off with the dawn patrol."

Some time later, we were all heading along through the forest, talking to Jayfeather, who'd come along to collect herbs. He, it seemed, had not forgotten about Dialga's impending attack.

"I've been trying to come up with something we can do, but I just can't find it," he muttered agitatedly. "Every time I get close to an answer, it slips away! It's maddening!"

"Is there anything the Three can do?" Celebi asked hopefully.

"Probably, but I don't know what it is!" snarled Jayfeather, but he wasn't angry at Celebi.

We walked on in silence for a little while, and eventually, when Jayfeather had collected his herbs, he said good-bye and left for camp, still grumbling.

Soon we reached the ShadowClan border. There was a ShadowClan patrol on the other side at the same time. The ShadowClan cats, when they saw our patrol, started calling out insults at the ThunderClan cats, who hissed back their own, but kept going.

"Fox-hearts!"

"Thieves!"

"Murderer!"

At that last word, the three of us turned. Flametail, the ShadowClan medicine cat, was the one who'd spoken, and he'd called it to Lionblaze, at the head of the patrol. He tensed, but Cinderheart soothed him by touching her tail-tip to his shoulder.

We soon passed by the ShadowClan border, and reached the shore of the lake. The three of us stopped there, suddenly,staring at the water. Lionblaze came back to ask us what was wrong.

"Nothing's wrong," said Celebi, her head tilted so that it rested on my shoulder as she hovered beside me. "They've just rarely seen moving water before, and I've never seen it in my life."

"Never?" Lionblaze asked in shock.

"We live in a world without Time, remember, Lionblaze," said Dusknoir, "But we must be going. This patrol needs to be finished."

We continued on, soon reaching the WindClan border. There we heard a commotion on the moors.

"Get them!"

"Teach them to trespass on WindClan territory!"

"It sounds like WindClan's caught a couple of rogues," commented Lionblaze.

Suddenly I froze. A voice, one that seemed half-remembered, had come from across the border. "We're leaving, we're leaving! We won't be back again, I swear. Come on, Feral."

And then a couple of cats were rushing down the hills to meet our patrol head on.

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**What is this? Are these rogues? Are they random? No. And No. You will see, oh yes, you will see…**

**Review, Please!**


	10. Chapter 9: Recalled to Life

**Well, I was going to complain about the lack of notice I received, but then people noticed me, so I'm okay. Sorry about the wait, insanity happened again.**

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**_Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake_**

**__****Chapter 9**

**Recalled to Life

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**

All the cats' claws unsheathed as they hissed at the rogues, but I stared. I was sure I'd heard one of their voices before.

As ThunderClan hissed at them, the leader rolled his eyes. He was a ginger cat, like Firestar, with blue eyes and he said, "I thought ThunderClan was nice," he muttered, and I knew it was his voice I'd heard over the hills. It was tenor, and, though it seemed to have a kind base, that was covered by a cynical, ruthless aspect which came from years of experience. "Oh well." He turned to Lionblaze, and sat unafraid. "We have things you need to hear. I suggest we go to your camp, so we can discuss it in private. Of course, I won't fight if you refuse. I'll leave all that to the Dragon of Time."

I and the rest of my team tensed. He turned to us suddenly, and his blue eyes bored into us with an intensity I knew I'd seen before. "He's coming," hissed the rogue. "You have, at most, three days. Probably two." Here he turned to Lionblaze as he said, "Now, take us to your camp. I must see the Lower Avatar."

My eyes widened. This cat also thought Firestar was the Messiah of Time! How did he even know about all this? How did he know about us? He wasn't surprised to see three Pokemon at all!

Lionblaze asked what a Lower Avatar was, and the rogue said simply, "I mean Firestar."

After some debate, the rogues were taken to the camp. There the rogues were taken by Lionblaze to Firestar's den, and, at the ginger cat's request, the Pokemon came too.

Sandstorm was in the den with Firestar when they entered. "Now, I and my partner, Feral, must speak privately with Team Soul—good name, by the way—Jayfeather, Lionblaze, Dovepaw, Cinderheart, Ivypaw, and yourself," The rogue said instantly to Firestar as he entered.

Firestar blinked. "Lionblaze who is this?" he asked, but the rogue cut the warrior off.

"I am your only hope to defeat Primal Dialga. I suggest you listen to what I have to say." He said, softly, and added, "But we can only speak to the nine I have mentioned."

Firestar hesitated a moment, then decided, "Nine will be enough to subdue the two of you if necessary. Very well. Sandstorm, I'm sorry, but could you please fetch Jayfeather, Dovepaw, Cinderheart and Ivypaw?"

She licked his ear. "All right," she said, standing and exiting.

In a few minutes, the other four entered, and the Rogue began speaking. "Good. I know all your names, and you may call me Bane. This is Feral."

"Hello," said Feral. He was a muscular, powerful cat, with gray fur and a ginger crown, but his voice however deep, was friendly, and like Bane's, half-familiar.

"Now," continued Bane, "I am here for multiple reasons, but the current major one is to set your minds on the path to victory. Listen closely. Primal Dialga is a being who is driven by Darkness. Therefore, the way to defeat him is with Light. Any ideas?"

None were forthcoming, so he continued, "What object or place here has the most Light within it?"

There was a moment's silence, and then Jayfeather said suddenly, "The Moonpool."

"So?" Bane prompted

"So if we get Dialga to touch the Moonpool's water, we win," said Jayfeather simply.

"Correct. We need to find a way to get Dialga into the Moonpool," said Bane.

"His purpose right now is to destroy Team Soul," said Feral. "We must use this."

"You want us to play bait?" cried Celebi.

"It makes sense," I said softly. "I'm in."

"As am I," Dusknoir said.

"Good," said Bane, but Celebi interrupted him.

"Good?" she shrieked, "Good? Grovyle and Dusknoir are going to be put in more danger than anyone else, and you say '_good_'?"

"They will not be in the most danger," said Bane, "You will. Your job is to lead him to the Moonpool. They will wait on the opposite shore for him to arrive. The rest of us shall provide backup, in the event of a problem."

Now it was my turn to be worried. "You can't send in Celebi like that!" I said loudly.

"I don't like it either!" said Bane, "But look. Celebi flies as fast as he does, and he comes from the direction of RiverClan, so you cannot walk, or go from tree to tree. She is the only choice."

"Grovyle, he's right," said Celebi, softly, staring at me. "It's the only way. I'll be fine." Then she giggled lightly, and my heart fluttered, "Didn't I once tell you I can't be caught?"

"And you were caught only days after that!" I said, flaring up at her. She just smiled at me as my heart wrenched with guilt for yelling at her. She understood.

And really, so did I.

"Fine," I said, and it took a lot of effort not to cry. "You're right. It's the only way."

"Now," said Bane, turning to Jayfeather, "You know what needs to be done?"

"Yes," said Jayfeather, "I will go to the Moonpool now." And he left.

"Why…" began Lionblaze, but Dusknoir explained.

"We need to get StarClan to use their power on Dialga when he touches the water." He said, "Otherwise it's just that: water."

"Oh," I said, still somewhat emotionally shaken. "I wondered. So we have two days now?"

"Approximately," said Bane. "I may be off, but there's at least a day to prepare."

"Good," said Dusknoir. "I think the other members of my team need some time to themselves before the battle."

Celebi and I glared halfheartedly at him, but neither of us denied it. We went off together to talk.

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**Lionblaze POV**

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I went into the medicine den to see if Jayfeather was sharing tongues with StarClan yet. He wasn't.

"Lionblaze, come in," he said, sensing me. I did.

"Jayfeather," I said. "I wanted to ask you something. Privately."

"All right," he said, sitting across from me, and staring into my eyes with his familiar sightless ones.

"I…" I began, then hesitated, wondering how to begin. Then I silently berated myself. This was my brother, I could be awkward with him. "I have been feeling a strange… attraction to Cinderheart lately." I said. "I was wondering if it had something to do with my powers. Is there something about it, like I have to protect someone specific at any cost?"

Jayfeather stared at me, like he thought I was joking. "What?" I asked defensively.

"You're serious?" he choked out, almost strangled, either with laughter or shock.

"Yes. Is it bad?" I asked worriedly.

"When did I become the StarClan-forsaken love doctor?" he muttered, so quietly I almost didn't hear it.

"The what?" I asked.

"Lionblaze," he said, loudly, as though speaking to a slow kitten. "You may be one of the Three, but you're still a living, mortal cat. You have cats' emotions. This has nothing to do with the Prophecy. I think you can guess what it is."

I stood there, and the answer came to me as though I'd known the whole time. "I'm in love with her." I whispered.

"Correct," said Jayfeather sarcastically. "I suggest you take your time with her though. Don't rush in. Now you know, slowly let her."

"Good idea," I said. "Thanks, Jayfeather."

As I left the den, I heard him mutter, "What next? Will RiverClan start coming for love advice?" in a dull, bored sort of way.

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**Remember, reviews are needed. Really. I get seriously depressed when I have no reviews.**


	11. Chapter 10: Preparations

**All standard disclaimers apply. Always.**

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_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 10**

**Preparations**

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I walked through the ThunderClan camp, Celebi hovering along beside me. Neither of us spoke until we'd passed the thorn barrier between the camp and the rest of the world.

"I'm sorry," I murmured. "I shouldn't have snapped-"

"Shh…" Celebi whispered, turning toward me and touching my cheek. "I understand. It's okay."

I smiled, my heart racing. She was so close…

"Who is he, do you think?" Celebi asked me, frowning slightly. "Bane, I mean. Feral, too. I swear I've heard their voices before."

"Me too," I said, frowning as well. "Could they maybe have come from our world?"

"It's possible," she muttered, her eyes downcast and thoughtful. "I mean, cases in which people's bodies change aren't unheard of, as you know, and how else would they have known so much about what's going on?" She shook her head then. "We aren't getting anywhere like this."

"You're right," I said, and we continued on in silence for a time.

Suddenly, she asked, "Why do you trust Dusknoir so much?"

I stared at her. "What do you mean?"

"What I said," she replied, turning to me, and stopping her forward motion. "Why, after all he did, do you still trust him?"

I frowned at her in confusion. "Don't you?"

"No," she told me, "And I want to know why you do. It seems like you'd trust him with your life."

"I have," I reminded her, "And I'd do it again in a second. But as to why, there's only one answer."

"What is it?" she asked, staring questioningly in my eyes.

"He's a friend," I said. "Like Star, and Algator, and Jayfeather, and Lionblaze, and Dovepaw, and Ivypaw, and Firestar, and you, Celebi. I'd trust any of my friends with anything, however large."

"I don't get it!" she said, her voice rising. "Grovyle, he's Dusknoir! The one who attacked us in the past and the future! Dialga's right hand Pokemon! How can you consider him a friend?"

"Is it, though?" I asked her quietly. "Is it really the same Pokemon? He's changed, Celebi. He's not the same Dusknoir we once knew. And he's a friend, Celebi. Forgive and forget."

She rolled her eyes. "You're too trusting. He'll stab us in the back as soon as Dialga's in front of us."

"I'd trust Dusknoir with my life," I said simply.

"That's what worries me!" she said angrily. "You already are! You trust him with both our lives, just by letting him stay here!"

"And you both trust your lives to me by letting me stay!" I said, trying not to raise my voice, but not entirely succeeding. "And Dusknoir and I trust our lives to you! He's a friend to me, Celebi. I'm sorry if you can't understand that."

"I can't," she said. "I can't understand why you put both our lives on the line like this. Especially after the Icicle Forest and the four crystals! You almost lost your life to him then. Why can't you learn from that?"

"It was a test," I said. "Those crystals tested him, and he proved himself. He's as good a Pokemon as we are, now."

"You're too trusting," she said, and, with an air of finality, she turned and floated off. But before she was out of sight among the trees, she turned and shouted, "And if either of us dies because of him, I'll kill you." And then she was gone.

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**Jayfeather POV**

I walked along the familiar path to the Moonpool alone. I loved to walk by myself—it was why I tried to collect herbs alone. It gave me time to think. And I was thinking hard.

There was a lot to think about. The Pokemon, the plan, Bane and Feral, and what I was going to say to StarClan. The plan was a good one. I had to give Bane that. But I was somewhat uncomfortable at trusting this mysterious nomadic loner. I resolved to ask StarClan about him, and Team Soul.

Suddenly, I felt a presence beside me. I turned, and through my black blindness, saw Rock, walking alongside me.

"Hello, Jayfeather," he said.

"Rock," I acknowledged. All the anger I had recently felt for him was gone. I had bigger problems.

"StarClan does not hold all the answers you seek," he warned. "And so, I come to you, with news of the past… and the future."

I nodded, and asked, "Who are Bane and Feral?"

"Unfortunately, your first question is one I cannot answer," he replied, sighing. "Their secret will be revealed soon. But I can say that they may be trusted."

"Good," I murmured. My next question was, "Will the plan work?"

"If Bane's instructions are followed carefully, without error, then yes," Rock replied. "But now I must interrupt you. There is much that you must understand, and my time is short."

We both stopped and faced one another, and he began. "Many seasons ago, a cat was born in the Old Twolegplace by the forest. He was a ginger tom, born to the she-cat kittypet Crystal. She was mated to the tom Jake at that time. But this cat's father was not Jake. He was born without a tom's aid. His father was, in fact, not a cat. He was what is called an Avatar, the Avatar of Time. His name is Yahalom, or Diamond in an ancient language, and his son is called Firestar."

"Firestar?" I spluttered in shock.

"Firestar is a Lower Avatar. He is the son of Time, the Messiah of Time. But listen, for Time was not the only Avatar to father a child. Prior to being mated to Crystal Jake had another mate. Her name was Quince. Through Jake, another Avatar, Shoham, or Onyx, the Avatar of Darkness, had a child. His name is Scourge."

"But Scourge died."

"No. The Son of Shadows cannot be destroyed by the weapons of mortals. He lives on, gathering strength. He, unlike Firestar, knows his heritage, and his power. And soon he will be strong enough to cover all the worlds in a darkness, the like of which has not been seen since the time of the Nine Orders. He needs only one more thing. His weapon." An image flashed before my eyes as rock spoke. A long, black rod, with a sphere of the same material on one end with spikes jutting out of it at regular intervals. "The Onyx Mace. If he finds this weapon, his power will be nearly limitless. And he has almost found it." Now Rock leaned forward, looking deep into my eyes. "When the time comes, you must tell Firestar to seek the Diamond Rapier. It is the only way to prevent Scourge from destroying us all."

"But how will I know when it's time?" I asked. "I assume I can't tell him whenever."

"No," said Rock. "You will know. Good luck." And then he was gone.

I went on to the Moonpool. I had no questions to ask StarClan. I merely explained the plan. They agreed to perform their part, so I left them and began my way back to camp.

I had a lot more to think about now.

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**A/N: I am so sorry for the wait! I had writer's block for a long, long time. If you don't get Firestar's birth, think of it like Anakin's in 'The Phantom Menace'. Review please! Updates will be more forthcoming now, I swear.**


	12. Chapter 11: Red Dawn

**Sorry. Things have been Insane. With a Capital I. But I have returned. And just wait for summer quarter, I'll update faster then.**

**All standard disclaimers apply. Always.**

_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 11**

**Red Dawn**

**Dusknoir POV**

As soon as Jayfeather returned to camp, Firestar jumped up to the Highledge. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

When we were there, he said, "I must see Lionblaze, Dovepaw, Jayfeather, Ivypaw, Bane, Feral, Grovyle, Dusknoir, and Celebi privately. In my den."

The nine of us that he had named followed him into his den. I looked around, but my eyes froze on Jayfeather. He looked haunted. I wondered what he'd seen that could have done this to him. Then he spoke.

"StarClan's ready," he said softly. "What now?"

"We rest, and we wait," said Feral, "He won't be here until tomorrow morning."

"Very well," said Firestar. "Good night to you all. I the morning, As soon as everyone's up, we'll start."

"All right," said Grovyle. "Good night." And he left the room, giving Celebi a passing glance as he left, which she didn't return. She looked angry. I wondered what had passed between them.

Jayfeather left soon afterward. He still looked stunned by something. I followed him out. We were halfway to the medicine den before he turned to me.

"What is it, Dusknoir?" he asked; his voice was totally composed, though his eyes gave away the same, dull shock of someone who has too much to take in all at once.

"I was going to ask you the same," I told him softly. "What happened?"

He chuckled slightly. "Nothing," he said. "Just an old friend… off looking for the end of the world." And he turned and entered his den, leaving me outside. I looked after him for a time, and then melted into the shadows for the night.

**Lionblaze POV**

I left Firestar's den soon after the Pokemon, Celebi following closely after Dusknoir. Dovepaw came out with me.

"Well, it's all over tomorrow," she said. "For better or worse. Anyway," she changed the subject, "Did you see Jayfeather?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He looked… strange. Like he'd heard something he doesn't like."

"StarClan probably spoke to him," I said. Frowning, I looked toward his den, but All I could see was the tip of his tail entering, and then Dusknoir, right before the entry, dissipating into the night. I shuddered, and so did Dovepaw.

"It scares me," she murmured. "No one should be able to do what he can do. StarClan doesn't have powers like that."

"You think that's impressive?" said Bane's voice behind us. We both turned, startled, to look at him. He looked grim. His eyes were narrowed, and he looked tense, as though he were in the shadow of some great terror. But, although his eyes were hooded in fear and anticipation, I saw that in their depths was a spark of determination that couldn't be quelled. I only knew a few eyes that had that spark. Firestar had it, Jayfeather had it, Dovepaw had it, a few others, such as Mistystar and Flamepaw… Not all of them were friends, though. Tigerstar had it too. That light in the eyes that showed that they'd keep fighting until they were dead, and even afterward, in Tigerstar's case.

I barely knew Bane, but I suddenly felt that I wouldn't mind that state of affairs changing.

"You'll be seeing a lot more before this is over," he continued. "Believe me. I can't see a single flaw in the plan, but I sense that there will be a battle before all this is over."

"How can you tell?" Dovepaw asked him.

"It's in the air," he said, softly. "It's like the feeling you get right before a storm. I can feel it right before a battle. It will be tomorrow, at dawn."

We stood there, the three of us, in silence, and then I said, "Well, staying up all night won't help our odds. I'm off to bed. Good night."

I left them for the warriors den. Cinderheart was already asleep. I curled up beside her, and soon, my eyes, too, were closed.

**Dovepaw POV**

I bade Bane good night and went to bed. Ivypaw was waiting.

We didn't say much. There wasn't a lot to say. After a short while, we curled up and slept the night away.

The next morning dawned bright and early, and we accompanied it; the ten of us. Firestar, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Ivypaw, Bane, Feral, Grovyle, Celebi, Dusknoir, and I.

"All right," said Bane, drawing a map in the dust. "Celebi, you need to position yourself by the river on the other side of the lake. Grovyle, Dusknoir, I want you on the other shore of the Moonpool, waiting. All the cats, including myself and Feral, will be hidden in the trees around the pool. If I go out of hiding and attack, I want all the other cats to follow. Celebi, you will lead Dialga over the Moonpool's waters, without leading him through the trees. When he is over the water, StarClan's power will purify him."

"So why all the other measures?" challenged Celebi.

"Just in case," Bane replied simply. "Now, go to your posts, everyone!"

**Celebi POV**

I had just left the camp when Grovyle caught up with me. Turning to face him, I asked him, "What?"

My voice was challenging, more so even than I'd meant it to be. He winced, but answered anyway. "Listen, Celebi. I know neither of us can agree with each other about Dusknoir. You won't accept anything but my promise to get rid of Dusknoir, and I won't accept anything but your accepting him. So let's just forget about it. I don't want to face Primal Dialga with us angry at each other. I don't want one of us to die without having forgiven one another. So, please, Celebi. Don't be angry with me. Not now."

I stared at him for a moment, my eyes narrowed, and then I sighed. "Fine," I murmured. "I haven't forgiven you, but I'll put my anger on hold. If you want forgiveness, come back alive first. Then we'll talk."

He smiled wryly. "I guess that's the best I'm going to get, isn't it?" he murmured ruefully. His eyes looked into mine for a moment, and then, suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. "That's another thing to talk about if we both make it out of this," he whispered into my ear. And then he was gone, swinging from tree to tree, leaving me staring after him, stunned.

**Okay. News flash. Book Two will most likely NOT be PJOxPokemon. I am contemplating Lord of the Rings. Why the sudden change? Because I looked at the PJO archive, and I thought, 'Am I really going to contribute to this sea of crap?' I'm not saying all PJO fanfictions are bad. There are plenty of good ones. But the Archive seems somehow to be a blemish on a story's resume if it's associated with it because of the number of bad ones. It's not as bad as Harry Potter. Nothing is. But it's bad. So, Lord of the Rings seems likely. Thank you.**


	13. Chapter 12: Of Water and Warriors

**That wasn't so long, was it? I'm concentrating on this fanfic for now, but the sequel won't arrive until 'The Spirit's Lament' is complete, so don't hope too much. On another note, We're almost done! The Climax has come!**

* * *

**All standard disclaimers apply. Always.**

* * *

_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 12**

**Of Water and Warriors**

* * *

**Grovyle POV**

* * *

I swung from branch to branch, trying to catch up with Dusknoir. My mind was nearly blank. All I could think of was what had just passed between myself and Celebi.

Lord Arceus, did I just kiss her?

Had I just ruin our friendship forever?

Did I just _kiss Celebi_?

Dusknoir was waiting for me at the Moonpool. He took one look at my face, and grinned.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," I grunted. Grass-types didn't blush, but I knew I would be red as a beetroot if I could.

"Did you kiss her?" he asked, ignoring me.

"I _don't_ want to _talk_ about it." I repeated, slightly louder.

"Did she start it? Or did you?" he still ignored my replies as he questioned me.

"_I don't want to talk about it!_" I yelled.

"And we have better things to do in any case," said Bane, as he stepped out from behind the tree. "I want a canopy-based Cresselian Point Defense formation from the three of us. I'll take the foreground."

We both stared at him. He rolled his eyes. "Look," he explained. "I lied. The precautions were not 'just in case'. Dialga isn't the only threat we're facing today. We need to be ready _now_. So form up!" and so saying he clawed his way up a tree and hid among the branches.

"How does he know the Cresselian Maneuvers?" muttered Dusknoir. "It took me _years _of espionage to figure them out. And I was in the right universe!"

"And that's a Class 4 Maneuver, too!" I said. "Even Celebi doesn't know all of those!"

"Form up already!" said Feral's voice from the shadows behind and above us. "I've got rear guard! I swear, I thought the Convention trained it's troops! The Tower too!"

"Fine!" I yelled. Then, turning to Dusknoir, I said, "I've got left!" And, before he could reply, I was in the trees to the left of the diamond-shaped formation.

I grinned as I heard him cursing my soul as he made his way to the right flank. It was an old soldier's myth that the left flank was safer than the right. And though I heard Bane snorting at our 'superstitious bickering' I definitely wanted every chance I could get at survival. It might be selfish, but I definitely wanted to finish that conversation with Celebi.

_Celebi…_

_No!_ I told myself. _Now's not the time!_

"Bane," I called, shaking my head to clear it.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Who else are we facing?" I asked him.

Bane was silent for a moment, and then asked softly, "Does the name Darkrai mean anything to you?"

Dusknoir choked. I came close—It did suddenly seem hard to breath—but I managed to splutter, "We're facing the Lord of Nightmares?"

"Yes," said Feral. "But don't worry. Bane and I have beaten him before, and we can do it again. You guys are just here in case the Moonpool trap doesn't work. We just want you to keep Dialga off our backs."

"Oh, very easy!"said Dusknoir, his voice almost an octave higher than its normal baritone. "Just keep the Dragon of Time at bay! Very simple!"

"You did it once, you can do it again," said Bane. "Now quiet. They're coming."

Sure enough, I could hear roaring, Dialga's roaring, coming nearer and nearer rapidly. Suddenly I saw a pink streak speeding from between the trees on the far side. It was followed almost instantly by the bulk of Dialga crashing through them. The ruby veins across his form shone with an ethereal light, and the Primal Diamond itself was incandescent, like a tiny red star in his silver chestplate.

I wasn't admiring his visage however. I was watching the distance between him and Celebi.

Oh, no.

He was much, much too close.

Unfortunately, I was right. Before they'd reached the water, Dialga stretched out his neck and grasped her by her elongated skull. He wasn't gentle. I heard her cries of pain as he began to draw blood.

He was hurting Celebi! _My_ Celebi!

I was about to jump out to help her when I felt a strange compulsion to stay, and at the same time heard Feral murmuring some words I couldn't understand, and Bane saying, "No, Grovyle! Watch, and wait!"

I did. I had no choice. Somehow my legs wouldn't move. That compulsion wouldn't let me. Yet it seemed I didn't need to, for Firestar suddenly leapt out of the woods behind Dialga.

The Dragon froze, and slowly turned to face the cat. From aggression, its stance shifted to terror.

"Drop her!" yowled Firestar. The air seemed suddenly to thicken around me. Everything slowed down. And I don't mean it seemed to out of the importance of the situation. Time was slowing around me.

Dialga did as he was bidden, and stepped back in terror. Into the Moonpool's water.

Time sped up again. All at once, the Moonpool looked like the ocean in a hurricane. Waves lapped up the pebbly beaches. And water was slowly creeping up Dialga's leg.

Soon, the struggling Dragon was entirely covered by water. Then he began to glow. As it had back in the Tannhauser, his markings flickered from sky blue. He roared aloud in fear and pain. And then, suddenly, the color set itself as sky blue. The glowing stopped. The Diamond of Time was blue again. The Color of Time. As it should be.

But not everything was well and good now. A deep voice, old as the shadows, suddenly spoke aloud to all of us around the Moonpool. "This is not over!"

The shadows seemed to be coalescing behind Firestar. A shining, Ice-blue eye could be seen looking down at him.

"Attack plan Shield Wall! Go, go!"

At Bane's shouted order, Feral stopped mumbling. The power keeping me in place vanished. And the four of us leapt out of the trees and took a position as a line between Firestar and Darkrai.

Darkrai stared at the four of us, and began to laugh. His laughter was far worse than his words. It sounded like the crackling of old, dry paper. One could imagine a corpse giving that laugh. And then he said, "Two cats, a Grovyle, and a Dusknoir? _These_ are Cresselia's champions? Do you honestly believe you have a hope of victory?"

"Two cats, and a couple Mortal Pokemon?" asked Feral, "No. However…"

The two cats beside me shone white, and their bodies began to change, like Pokemon evolving. Darkrai's eyes widened.

A moment later, two Pokemon stood where the cats had been. Two Pokemon who I knew well. No longer a Charmander and a Totodile, having evolved to Charizard and Feraligatr, but I would know these two anywhere.

Star and Algator stood before me, ready for battle.

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**Okay, I lied. Next chapter is the Climax. Sue me. It will be up soon! Thanks to arceus100 for seeing through all of Star's plots. Good day to you all!**


	14. Chapter 13: Destroyer vs Nightmare Lord

**I said the next chapter would be up soon. It is. Enjoy.**

* * *

**All standard disclaimers apply. Always.**

* * *

_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 13**

**Destroyer of Stars vs. Lord of Nightmares**

* * *

**Dusknoir POV**

* * *

"Go help Celebi," said Star. "We'll take him."

Grovyle crouched down and knelt beside Celebi, but I remained standing, though I stood back. I had a feeling that I was about to watch history as it was made.

Darkrai's single eye was glaring into Star's, and there was a full orchestra of emotions behind it. Rage, hatred, and (this shocked me) fear were most dominant. "Destroyer…" he hissed in his deep voice, "Why do you fight me? We are not so different, you and I. Both of us are forces of destruction."

Star's flaming tail lashed. "No. You don't get it at all," he said softly, his voice almost as dangerous as Darkrai's. "I've spent all my life fighting you, and those like you. As a human, and so as a Pokemon. There's a difference between destroying and protecting."

"Why do you fight?" Darkrai hissed, his eye glowing with power as he exerted his entire will on Star. "Is it out of your sense of justice?"

"Yes," said Star simply, and struck. His claw raked Darkrai's face in an uppercut motion, and Darkrai was knocked back two paces. The Nightmare Lord's hand came up to the scratches on his face, and his eye shone with rage. Instead of blood, shadows were leaking out of the claw marks.

"You will pay for that in blood," hissed Darkrai, and leapt forward.

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**Grovyle's POV**

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I knelt beside Celebi's injured form. Her breathing was shallow, and tight with pain.

"You'll be okay," I murmured, shoving my own doubts to the back of my mind. "You'll be fine. I'll look after you."

She shifted, unconscious, and mumbled my name. I picked her small body up, and, standing, looked up into Dialga's blue eyes.

"Put her on my back," he murmured. "She'll be safe there."

I hesitated. This was Dialga, the same entity who had caused us all so much pain. But he was purified, wasn't he?

Could I trust to that?

But suddenly I remembered the mythology lessons of my youth. I remembered my Legends teacher saying, "The Legendaries can conceal and disguise their bodies however they wish, save their eyes. They can never change their eyes."

Primal Dialga's eyes were red.

Dialga's eyes were blue.

I leapt onto his back and gently laid Celebi down in a seated position, with her back resting against the Dragon's tail-frill.

"Keep her safe, and don't let her fall," I said warningly to Dialga.

He nodded and said, "Fear not, Grovyle. She is as safe as any of us can be."

I jumped of his back and saw the battle raging. Star was clearly the more powerful, and both physically and with his moves, but Darkrai was a Legendary, and therefore had some advantages that Star couldn't possess.

First, he kept melting into the shadows, popping up anywhere, usually right behind Star. And second, his moves themselves were powerful, though their execution was less so. And all the while, he kept up a steady monologue, intended to lower Star's morale. Fortunately, however, it didn't seem to be working. Darkrai was steadily getting beaten down, and he knew it too, so it was rather his morale that was lowering.

"Enough!" the Nightmare Lord suddenly cried. "Respite! Respite!"

"Very well. Ten minutes?" said Star softly. He was breathing heavily, but Darkrai was worse off. The Legendary's very form was flickering like smoke, as though it might dissipate out of fatigue at any moment.

Darkrai thought for a moment, and then said, "Five!"

"Done," said Star.

Darkrai stepped back to allow his form to coalesce, and Star retreated over to us.

"Star! Algator!" I said, embracing the two. "How did you get here? And how did you evolve so quickly?"

Star smiled down at me. "Hello, old friend. The story's long and involved so it'll have to wait." He glared over at Darkrai. "Stupid demon knows he heals faster than I do. At five minutes, he'll have more total strength than me. I need to rest."

"Of course," chuckled Algator. "We can't have him getting an unfair advantage over you, can we?"

Star joined him in laughter, but I was worried. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" I asked him.

"Oh, yes," said Algator. "Star's whipped him in one-on-one combat before, and that was as a Charmeleon! Don't worry, Grovyle. He'll be fine."

"You beat Darkrai as a Charmeleon?" I asked, stunned.

"Not really," said Star. "I was wearing Charizard the Avenger's old Charmeleon battle armor, and I still barely won. But I'm not worried. Darkrai's going down, you'll see. Oh, and Dusknoir," he added, turning to my teammate, who was looking rather shifty. "We know all about what happened in your time. You're forgiven, don't worry."

"Your respite is over, Starbane!" hissed Darkrai, who was back in a battle stance before us. "Come and face me, coward!"

"Star_bane_?" I asked Star, but he shook his head.

"Later," he murmured to me, and returned to the arena. As soon as he took his first step, Darkrai launched a lightning-fast Shadow Ball at his head.

It should have worked. By all physical laws, Star should have been knocked to the ground by the blow. But instead, he blew a jet of flame that not only deflected the Shadow Ball, but also hit Darkrai with so much heat that, instead of burning him, it seemed to be smashing into him like a wall of white-hot steel at eighty miles an hour.

The Lord of Nightmares flew back, his back smashing into a (now burning) tree, and lay still for a short while. Then he stood up. His form was flickering worse than ever now. It barely even seemed to exist. And suddenly, he spoke.

"This is not over, Destroyer of Stars," he whispered, and his voice held no pain. "Your power is great, but soon mine will be greater. The Son of Darkness is returning, and when that day comes, I will extinguish your flame."

"The Dark One's child will be met with greater force," countered Star. "The Messiah of Time is on the move."

Darkrai hissed softly, and I realized he was laughing quietly. "Fool! The Diamond-child is to the Onyx-child as a leaf is to a hurricane. Every hand is turned against you. I hold all the aces, and your only hope is the two of Diamonds."

"I have a feeling that this time, the aces are low," said the Charizard softly. "And anyway, it's a million to one chance…_ but it might just work_."*

Darkrai laughed again. "Very well," he hissed. "I will enjoy crushing your soul." And then he vanished into a puff of shadows.

Darkrai was defeated.

We had won!

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*-this is from a joke in Terry Pratchett's 'Guards, Guards!' Read the book if you want to get the joke.

* * *

**The Climax is done. Only one or two more chapters to go! Now I need to know your opinion. Which should I write first? Team Soul Trilogy Book II (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Xovered with Lord of the Rings), or Messiah of Time (Warriors Xovered with The Legend of Zelda). I can provide back stories to anyone about any of the series I write for so that you can read the stories. Your thoughts?**


	15. Chapter 14: Homeward Bound

**Here is the end of the line. It's over.**

**All standard disclaimers apply. Always.**

_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake**_

**Chapter 14**

**Homeward Bound**

**Firestar POV**

There was silence for a moment after Darkrai vanished as the rest of my Clan joined the Pokemon. Then Bane- no, Star- broke it.

"Algator, see to Celebi," he said.

Algator nodded, and leapt up onto Dialga's back. I heard him mumble a few strange syllables, And then he came down with Celebi, who had somehow been fully healed and reinvigorated.

"Celebi!" cried Grovyle, and, running forward, embraced her. The two went off to the sidelines for more privacy, and began to talk with one another softly.

Star turned to me. "Firestar, we need to talk." He motioned with his head away to the side of the beach opposite Celebi and Grovyle.

We walked over there together, and then he spoke. "You've got a tough time ahead of you, Firestar. Are you ready?"

"No," I said softly. "I'm not. I don't know what's happening."

"Good!" said Star, grinning. "Now I get to explain. Do you know who your parents were?"

"No," I replied. "They were both either dead or vanished as early as I can remember."

"So I'll give you the cats' history first," Star decided. "Your mother's name was Crystal. She was ginger, like you, and had amber eyes. She was a kittypet. So was your father. His name was Jake. He was a tabby with ice-blue eyes."

My eyes widened. "Did you know my parents?"

"Not really," he said. "I met your father once. Now listen, because now I'm going to tell you the _real_ history. Here it is: your father was not a cat."

I stared at him uncomprehendingly. He sighed, and elaborated. "Jake was not your father. It was not he who caused your birth. A spirit came and gave Crystal a child magically. This was the spirit of Yahalom, the Diamond, the Avatar of Time. You are his son. That's why, when Dusknoir stopped Time, you began to die, just as if you had no air. That's why Primal Dialga was afraid of you. You're his Master's son, and you have some of your father's power. A famous prophet of Pokemon, Charizard the Avenger, predicted your arrival. He called you the 'Messiah of Time'. That's what you are. The son of the Diamond. The Messiah of Time."

"I don't understand!" I shook my head. "What is the Diamond?"

"Apart from your father?" smiled Star. "You look to StarClan for guidance. Yahalom is what some other races look to. He is a being with immortal and supreme power- A god, if you know the term- over Time. And you, with training, have some of the same."

"I have the power of StarClan?" I asked, shocked. My surprise doubled when Star laughed.

"Firestar," he said, still chortling, "With training, you could destroy all of StarClan with no more effort than it takes to kill a mouse."

Though cats' jaws generally do not drop, mine did then. How could I have so much strength in me and not know about it? But then Star's face fell, and he continued.

"But there's more to the history," he said. "Before Crystal, Jake was the mate of a she-cat named Quince. But he was always susceptible to having the Avatars work through him. This time, it was Shoham, the Onyx, Lord of Darkness, who acted through him. He then fathered her child, who was destined to be the Son of Darkness, and your mortal foe. He is to you what Darkrai is to me. You've met him before."

"Who is it?" I asked him softly, tense with anticipation. Whatever Star said next, I knew, would shape my future.

Star stared at me. "Scourge."

I blinked, but before I could speak, he continued. "He's not dead, Firestar. Neither you nor he can die by mortal means. He's still alive and kicking. But Jayfeather will tell you the rest when the time comes. Someone named Rock told him. He'll tell you when it's time."

I nodded. It was a lot to take in, but I knew I could count on Jayfeather. "Thanks. I'll remember."

"Good. You're our only hope," he murmured, and together we headed back to the group.

**Grovyle POV**

Celebi and I headed off to the side to talk. As soon as we were out of earshot of the rest, she turned to me.

"Grovyle…" she whispered. "I…" She stopped, unable, it seemed, to formulate her thoughts into words. "You're forgiven," she said at last.

I treated her to a wry grin. "For everything?"

She frowned slightly. "What do you mean? For Dusknoir (I think I can trust him now, by the way) and what else?"

"Er…" I mumbled, "The… er… kiss…"

Was she blushing? It was hard to tell, as her basic skin tone was already red-based, but I could have sworn the color deepened around her face.

"Um… yes… that too…" she murmured, looking into my eyes.

I tried to smile, but my heart was aching in my chest. If I was honest with myself, the second-to-last thing I wanted to do was take back what I had done, but my friendship with Celebi came first.

I turned, and was about to walk back to the others when Celebi suddenly called my name softly. "Grovyle?"

I turned back to face her. "Yes?"

"I…" she seemed to be struggling with herself, and she was definitely blushing now. How strange. "You're more than forgiven, Grovyle." She finally said softly, looking deep into my eyes.

I opened my mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Celebi's. Her arms rose up and wrapped themselves around my neck. Compulsively, I hugged her back.

She was kissing me!

_Celebi was kissing me!_

It was over far too soon, unfortunately. She drew back, and our arms fell to our respective sides. We were both breathing heavily now, and her blush was more prominent than ever. "I love you, Grovyle," she whispered. "I have for a long time. Since the day we first met."

I was about to say something more romantic when something struck me. "Wait, it took you three hundred years to confess?" I looked at her dully and deadpanned. "Smooth, Celebi. Really. Although, frankly, I'm just as bad. I've loved you for the past three hundred years, too." And, after having said that, I kissed her again.

**Dusknoir POV**

The cats were all rejoicing and asking Dialga questions about our world around us. Algator turned to me as the other members of our teams left for the sidelines. "Listen, Dusknoir," he said. "The others are all busy, so I'll explain it to you. First, you've got to know this. Star and I are older than any of you. You know the stories about the Stellar Shattering?"

"When the falling star was destroyed by Rayquaza, yes." I replied.

"You know that a northern Rescue team reached the summit of Sky Tower and convinced Raquaza to help before it was too late?" he asked.

"Yes," I told him. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"We were that rescue team."

I stared at him in shock. "But that puts you at 1,000 years old! Older than any non-legendary Pokemon ever to exist! Even Steward Lucario and Charizard the Avenger didn't live that long! And how could you and Star have kept so much hidden so well?"

"We didn't," murmured Algator. He seemed sorrowful, as though he'd lost something precious long ago and was remembering. "It wasn't the first time Star developed amnesia when I found him on the Treasure Town beach. You see, four hundred and fifty years after we saved the world that first time, the Great Cataclysm happened. The northern hemisphere of our world was… decimated. I won't tell you how; the story's too sad. The only ones who managed to escape got amnesia and were de-evolved back into primary form. Myself, Star, Alakazam, Shiftry, Blastoise, Golem, and Gengar were all. Well, not really," he added after a moment's thought. "Two more escaped, and didn't lose their memories. Gardevior and Wigglytuff. Yes, the Guildmaster. He's from the North, too. He recognized us, but didn't say anything. He's a wise Pokemon, and older even than we are. Anyhow, we de-evolved and went to the South. Star, however, having originally been human returned to that race, and we parted ways for a long time, not knowing one another.

"Then the tower collapsed, fifty years later. Star, however, had met Lucario as the Steward was putting the Time Gears in their respective places. Lucario somehow saw old Star's soul and recognized him. I don't know how. Anyway, He froze Star in Dragon Time, a move which encases the target in crystal for a long, long time.

"I died when Temporal Tower collapsed, but Star survived. The Cresselian convention awoke him, and he met you. You know the next part. After we saved the tower, Star disappeared, but Dialga brought him back. We remained there for over a hundred years, training, evolving. During that time, however, disaster struck again.

"You see, Darkrai was the cause of Temporal Tower's collapse. Now he set a new plot in action. He tried to cast the world into Darkness by distorting time; didn't work. Now he tried to do the same with space.

"We stopped him again, and, just as you were thrown everywhere in the Passage of Time when Dialga attacked it, so was he when Palkia attacked him in it. He got away though, and disappeared into the Shadow Realm, which is like a cursed mirror image of our world, for a long time. He still hasn't come out.

"However, in between the time when Star came back to our world and we stopped Darkrai again, he came here to stop you. And then, after we did stop him in our world, We got our memories back, learned what you did in the future, and also came here to help you. Temporal Anomaly, see?"

I nodded slowly. "I understand, but don't try to explain it to the others. I doubt they will."

Algator snorted. "Of course not."

And now the six of us were all standing in front of the Tannhauser that Dialga had created. We'd said our goodbyes, Star having finished with a simple "Remember," to Firestar. It was time to leave. Grovyle and Celebi were holding hands, and she was leaning on his shoulder as we all stared into the violet light.

"Well," murmured Grovyle. "We're off again. It was fun, wasn't it? In the end."

"Yes," I agreed. "Very much so. But it's time we headed home."

"Yes it is," said Star.

And so, together, we entered the violet portal.

**The End**

**And at last, half a year later, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake is done. Thanks are due.**

**To No1fanofalot, for being my first reviewer.**

**To Willowfur, for all her encouragement in the beginning.**

**To arceus100, for his wisdom and clarity of thought, as shown in his reviews.**

**And last, but certainly not least, to all the other people, both with and without users, who read and/or reviewed this story.**

**I am going to write the sequels soon enough. I have to finish 'The Spirit's Lament' first, but then I'll get down to them. Please, tell me which one you'd like me to write first! I don't know which to do! Messiah of Time or Team Soul II? Your choice.**

**Goodbye for now, and may the Writer Gods be with you!**


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